Acknowledgments

Thanks to Richard Foss, for help with the fine details of food, wine and restaurants.

To Kier Salmon, for all sorts of help! Including the name of “Rancho Sangre Sagrado,” and other bits of idiomatic conversational Spanish, and useful discussions.

To Marino Panzanelli and Marco Pertoni for help with Italian, and also the other members of the Stirling listserve.

To Melinda Snodgrass, Daniel Abraham, Sage Walker, Emily Mah, Terry England, George R. R. Martin, Walter Jon Williams, Vic Milan, Jan Stirling and Ian Tregellis of Critical Mass, for constant help and advice as the book was under construction.

To Jack Williamson, Fred Pohl, Sprague de Camp and other Golden Agers for inspiration; and Roger Zelazny and Fred Saberhagen.